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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 2007, 7:54 PM EDT (current) | james73 | 1 photo added, 1 photo deleted |
| Oct 7 2007, 7:22 PM EDT | scallopboy | 1 photo added |
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History The land for the park was aquired in 1857 for £30,000 and was laid out by Sir Joseph Paxton who also laid out Kelvingrove Park and it opened to the public in September 1862. The park at that time was not in the centre of a built-up area and was still pastoral; however, it was foreseen that the expansion of Glasgow would continue to envelope the area. |  |
The name of the park is not taken from Queen Victoria at the time it was created but instead relates to Mark Queen of Scot's as the battle of Langside took place on and next to the land the park occupies. The battle on the the 13th of May 1568 is commemorated to the south by the Langside Monument. The park is laid out on Camphill, relating to the encampments from the Battle of Langside,and near to the top are what E J Talbot believedwas a Norman ring work earth and timber castle. Excavations in 1951 revealed 14th Century pottery from the site and there is some indication the site could have been in use from the Iron Age and redeveloped over time.
Within the park, the Pathead Farm buildings remain and are now used by the parks department, but they serve as a reminder to the once rural nature of this area. The bandstand in the park is a replacement for the original cast iron bandstand which was moved to the Duchess of Hamilton Public Park in Motherwell. The glass houses built in 1905 are used to propagate plants for the parks throughout Glasgow. Langside Halls were originally built by the architect John Gibson as the National Bank in Queen street before being removed and rebuilt in the park in 1902. Camphill House is believed to have been built between 1800-30 and has been attributed to the David Hamilton who was the head of a family of builders and masons originally from Kilburnie in Ayrshire. The building once housed a small museum showing relics from the Battle of Langside but it was converted into flats in the 1980's. Wellcroft Bowling Club is on the northern boundary of the park and is the oldest known bowling club, with records dating back to the 1830's. The Greens were originally at Eglington Street but moved to their present site in 1876 to make was for the London to Glasgow railway approach to Central Station.
Facilities
The park is known for its good viewpoint and are best appreciated on a cold day in the winter when the trees are bare. There are tennis courts, the bowling greens and 5-a-side football pitches. The glasshouses provide displays of sub-tropical plants as well as ponds, tropical fish, exotic birds and an excellent reptile house. There are play areas, a skateboard park at the adjacent Queen's Park Recreation Ground, wildlife pond and former boating pond now used by model boat enthusiasts.
